The present invention refers to a mobile combustion exhaler for the vaporization of insecticide or perfumed substances having a low vapor pressure, and in particular to an exhaler of such a type which can be used both for an extended action of destruction of flying insects, such as mosquitoes, flies, gnats and similar, and for a fast disinfestation from creeping insects, such as ants, beetles, spiders, fleas and similar as well as a perfume dispenser for environments.
The present invention also refers to the refills which can be used with said exhaler.
Different types of exhalers are spread on the market, which types can be gathered into the two big categories of electric and combustion exhalers, hereunder shortly described.
The electric exhalers generally consist of an electric heating device and of a support impregnated with the active substance to be vaporized, said support being placed nearby the heating device.
These devices are designed to be used in closed rooms and with active substances having a medium or high vapor pressure; the temperatures which can be obtained by these devices, in fact, are limited both by the mechanical strength of the plastic support parts and by fire fighting and accident prevention security: therefore said temperatures generally range between 60 and 200xc2x0 C.
The combustion exhalers, instead, comprise a porous combustible support impregnated with an active substance to be evaporated in the environment during the gradual complete burning of the same support. Exhalers of such a type, are substantially made of the only combustible refill and of a support apt to maintain in an appropriate position the same refill during the combustion thereof.
Fumigators in coil-shape, for example, are largely spread on the market, but other kind of supports, such as short thick candles and similar devices, are also known. In all these cases, such exhalers are designed to be prevalently used in external environments, considering that during the combustion, a contemporary plenty production of smoke, due to the burning of the support, takes place. Considering the high temperature in the combustion area, said exhalers can be also used with active substances having a low vapor pressure, which substances are preferred since they do not show any loss of active substance during storage at ambient temperature.
The combustion exhalers have the considerable advantage, with regard to the electric exhalers, that can be also used in places where an electric outlet is not immediately available as, for example, in places far away from houses, inside rooms without electric current such as cellars and storages, in highland or other scarcely populated regions or, finally, in emerging countries wherein the electric network still has a low expansion and capillarity and wherein, however, the presence of insects not only is irritating, but can be even very dangerous as the insects are potential carriers of serious illness, such as for example malaria.
In these last situations, the use of combustion exhalers has largely widespread, but it is still limited by the intrinsic characteristics of the exhalers which are nowadays available on the market. In said exhalers in fact, the combustible support must be self-supporting from the mechanical point of view, as well as guarantee the maintenance of a good combustion even in presence of adverse climatic conditions (wind, humidity and similar); for making up for said requirements, the combustible support must therefore have a relatively high mass with regard to its own longitudinal dimension, as well as a low concentration of the liquid active substance. As a consequence of the above said features the mass of the combustible support burnt for unity of time is rather high and a high quantity of smoke is therefore produced during the combustion. The presence of high quantities of smokes obviously excludes the possibility of a safe use of the exhaler in closed rooms, particularly with a contemporary human presence, and therefore a large spreading of these products has been seriously limited, while, on the contrary it would be largely desirable for allowing an appropriate control of noxious insects in environments which do not dispose of electric current.
The object of the present invention is to thus supply a new type of combustible exhaler, free from the above complained drawbacks and apt to be used both in closed rooms and open environments for the vaporization of active substances, and in particular insecticide products, even having a low vapor pressure.
A further object of the present invention is to supply an exhaler of such a type which can be used, by simply replacing the type of refill, both for an extended action at slow combustion for destroying flying insects with the contemporary human presence, and for a quick action at fast combustion for destroying creeping insects, without human presence in the treated rooms.
Such a object has been achieved, according to the present invention, by means of a combustion exhaler for the vaporization of an insecticide or perfumed substance characterised in that it comprises a housing having intake and exit vents, a solid porous combustible element impregnated with said substance, placed into said housing, between said intake and exit vents, and fixed to the same through appropriate support means, said combustible element having an high ratio between the mass of the active substance and the mass of the combustible element.
According to a feature of the invention, said combustible element also shows a low mass/length ratio. In an embodiment of the invention, particularly suitable for an extended use in closed rooms with the human presence, said ratio is so reduced that said element does not have a mechanical self-supporting feature.
According to a further feature of the invention, said support means of the combustible element extend for the whole length of the same combustible element.
According to still another feature of the invention fan means are provided into said housing, apt to produce an air flow between said intake and exit vents of the housing.